I have been using my daughter's computer for months nowand no one is happy....so its time I get my own computer,should I try to go for one now or wait until after x-mas...my thinking is I should wait and hopefully get a good price..secondly, I need advice on what computer I should get....I don't have many computer demands like gaming or the like...I need a pretty basic, cheap computer.... basically for I-tunesand e-mailing and writing stuff on... I don't use it for anything complicated..my wife and I will be sharing it and she doesn't use it for anything complicatedeither.... price is a sticking point for us... I want to spend money to get a good computerand she doesn't... as the boss, she wins... so it needs to be relatively cheap...less then $500 bucks.... ok, kids.... steer me into the right computer andI personally don't care if it is a desktop or laptop... wife may care, but rightnow price is her thing....any thoughts.....

Kropotkin

"Those who sacrifice liberty for securitywind up with neither." "Ben Franklin"

My computer needs are similar to yours, and I have been pleased with my Chromebook. I went relatively high-end, because the last time I bought a computer I didn't have any dependents, but there are cheap models (in the $200-$500 range) that are similar.

The idea of the Chromebook is that it's hardware is minimal and it's mostly used as a terminal to access the internet, and all the things you would have used local applications for are replaced by cloud services. For example, I use Google Drive for word processing/spreadsheets, and gmail and google calendars, and even a Chrome plugin to administer the ILP server. That all works for me, because I'm not scared about Big Brother (so I can do my writing/planning/banking etc. online) and I prefer new-to-me music (so free music streaming services are an adequate replacement for my music library).

If you have a big library of files that you must use, a poor internet connection, or are particularly privacy anxious, a Chromebook is a bad match. But odds are that it's the best ratio of function to price for the needs you're describing.

Carleas wrote:My computer needs are similar to yours, and I have been pleased with my Chromebook. I went relatively high-end, because the last time I bought a computer I didn't have any dependents, but there are cheap models (in the $200-$500 range) that are similar.

The idea of the Chromebook is that it's hardware is minimal and it's mostly used as a terminal to access the internet, and all the things you would have used local applications for are replaced by cloud services. For example, I use Google Drive for word processing/spreadsheets, and gmail and google calendars, and even a Chrome plugin to administer the ILP server. That all works for me, because I'm not scared about Big Brother (so I can do my writing/planning/banking etc. online) and I prefer new-to-me music (so free music streaming services are an adequate replacement for my music library).

If you have a big library of files that you must use, a poor internet connection, or are particularly privacy anxious, a Chromebook is a bad match. But odds are that it's the best ratio of function to price for the needs you're describing.

K: I actually bought a Chromebook and really wasn't happy with it...I returned it after a week......I would like something just a step above a Chromebookbut not too high end......again the wife, the boss, wants something cheap andwe who are married over 20 years, knows enough to obey the boss.....thank you for your suggestion...

Kropotkin

"Those who sacrifice liberty for securitywind up with neither." "Ben Franklin"

I'm still running strong with a PC i built myself in 2011 with most parts from the above store, spending roughly $1100 at the time for some fairly higher end parts

K: I am truly lost with technology.. I still can't cut and paste after 20years of using a computer....and the thought of trying to put a computertogether puts the fear of god in me.....no, I am so lame, I need a completedcomputer to make this work.... thank you for your thoughts...

Kropotkin

"Those who sacrifice liberty for securitywind up with neither." "Ben Franklin"